When a Man Loves a Woman

Chapter 10- Until I find Myself in You (Malik)

I was sitting in my office and I found myself not being able to keep the smoky-eyed beauty named Silvia off of my mind. Since I've left her house this morning, she’s been the only person on my mind. Even this case, that was driving the city, my aunt, and I crazy couldn't dampen my mood. I had found someone that I was truly interested in and I wanted to be able to call her mine one day.

“Detective.” Officer Roberts called as he entered my office. Behind him was a woman who was short and slender. She had tears in her eyes and she looked concerned. She was older than me but she looked to be around the same age as my auntie Diane.

“Yes, Officer, how can I help you?” I asked.

He ushered the woman into the room. “My daughter is missing.” She said in a trembling voice.

I offered her a seat in front of my desk. She was squeezing a piece of paper in her hands. Her legs were shaking and her eyes were red. I could tell she was disturbed. “When was the last time you saw or spoke with your daughter?” I questioned.

She looked up, “Yesterday afternoon. This is not like her. I talk to her every day, at the beginning of the day, and before I go to bed…” She paused. “This is not like her.” She looked from me to the officer.

“Does she have a significant other?” I inquired.

Her eyes began to water and she took a deep breath. “She’s single but yesterday, I found out she was seeing a married man…” She paused again to read both of our faces. “She knew it was wrong and after I had a conversation with her, I knew she was going to end it. Trust me officer this is not like my daughter to go missing. She’s a psychiatrist. She has patients to see.”

“Well, maybe she left with her new beau, to break it off,” I informed her.

The woman stood up. Her face became stone cold as she walked to me. Then she pulled a cell phone out of her purse and shoved it in my hand. “She wouldn’t leave this. It was at her house still, so was her car, keys, and her purse. Now what woman you know leaves all of her personal things at home? Something bad has happened. I can feel it and I need you to start looking for my baby now!” She looked me in my eyes, “She fits the description of the missing women. And the only reason I know about the man is because he called and left a voicemail on her house phone.”

“Do you know him?” I asked her?

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, he was my neighbor for years before my husband and I gave the house to one of our daughters. She’s the one that’s missing.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Do you think he may have had something to do with her coming up missing?” I continued interviewing her.

She sucked her teeth, "Are you listening to me boy?" The woman yelled while pointing her finger. The officer in the room cleared his throat, moved closer to us. Then the woman glanced at him, shifted, and calmed down. “I'm sorry...I don’t know. He may have. He’s weird…I mean what man watches a child grow up just so that he can seduce her?” She responded and sat back down. She looked more worried now.

“Okay, what’s his name?”

“Daniel Keaton.” She replied. At that moment the blood in my body went ice cold.

I was afraid to ask the next question because my intuition had kicked in. The more I looked at the woman, the more I saw the woman I was falling for. She was just a lighter version but she had the same colored eyes. I took a deep breath and asked, “What is your daughter’s name?”

“Doctor Silvia Denise Fields.”

I felt as if I had been hit by a bus. My low down uncle was screwing the woman I had fallen for. Silvia’s mother was staring at me as if I had lost my mind. I gathered myself and sighed. Then, I advised Officer Roberts to fill out the paperwork and get a crew of men together to check out the potential crime scene. Mrs. Fields was still in my office as I gathered my things to head to Silvia’s house.

“Excuse me, Detective James?” She eased towards my desk a little. I glanced at her. “Do you know my daughter?”

I tried to hide my concern from her. “Yes, we recently met.”

She came closer to me. Her eyes were scanning my eyes and looked as if she was reading my soul. The woman had a presence about her that made you want to tell her everything. I thought about last night’s conversation with Silvia. She mentioned that she was not able to hide anything from her mother. I could now tell why she could not.

` “No, you may have just met her but you are interested in her also.” She stated and paused while she waited for a reaction from me. “When did you last see my daughter?” Silvia’s mother questioned.

“This morning, before I left for work. She was asleep.” Her mother’s eyes widened. I put up my hands. “Nothing happened, it was late and we went to bed Mrs. Fields.” I felt like I was about to get chastised by my own mother.

“So you haven’t heard from her either?”

I shook my head and replied, “No, I haven’t.”

“She didn’t tell me about you either.” Mrs. Fields stated. I couldn’t tell if she was asking me a question or making a generalized statement.

“I’m sorry, I’m pretty sure she would have told you eventually.” I grabbed my keys and ushered her to my office door. “But Mrs. Fields, I know my heart is with your daughter and I’m wasting time not looking for her. Officer Roberts is going to take some information and I’m going to head to her house.” I handed her my card. “If you have any questions or updates, please call me.”

I rushed out the door. I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes. I knew I had to find her, not just for her mother but for me. The two of us had just begun and I had plans for us. I felt a lone tear fall from my eyes and then my phone rang. It was my Aunt. “It’s him, Auntie, he’s got Silvia,” I answered the phone without saying hello. I heard her gasp.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“Yes, her mother reported her missing today and confirmed that Daniel is sleeping with Silvia.”

I heard her sigh again. “I’m sorry Malik, I didn’t know.”

“No apologies needed Auntie. He’s going to return her to me, alive. I’m not going to lose another person I love to him.”

“Wait, love?” She questioned. I didn’t realize the word had slipped from my mouth.

“Yeah, I guess so…I’ve fallen in love with Dr. Fields and I’m going to find her alive,” I replied. “I’m headed that way now. And Auntie, we’re going to have to turn in everything we know about him...It’s time.”

She agreed and we ended the call. I sped to Silvia’s house and it was just as we left it the night before. Mrs. Fields was correct; the scene did not sit well once I entered it. You knew something bad had happened here. I couldn’t feel the warmth of the woman I cared about in the house at all.

Chapter 11- Always my Baby (Daniel)

I was sitting at a red light. I had just taken out $50,000. I had two debit cards that I loaded the money on and kept some of the cash on hand. Silvia was carrying my child and I wanted to run away with her. I glanced at the roses in the backseat. I thought to myself and prayed that she would forgive me for my behavior the other day. I loved this woman with everything inside of me. I wanted her to understand how much I would give up just to be with her. She was different, she was mysterious, smart and the most beautiful woman, I had ever laid eyes on. She had to be mine. I could not allow another man to have her, especially my nephew.

The light turned green and the rain started to pour and at that moment an alert came across the radio station. “Police are looking for missing Psychiatrist Silvia Denise Fields. She was last seen this morning. She is assumed to be in danger and captive to Doctor Daniel Keaton. Police also alleged that the good doctor is the primary suspect in the murders that have plagued the mid-south over the past 10 months. Silvia Fields is 5’5, slim, African American with dark skin and grey eyes, she’s 33 years old, she also has jet black hair that is mid-length and is usually pressed straight. She does not have any of her personal items. Daniel is a biracial African American male who is 6’10. He’s 55 years old with salt and pepper colored hair and a goatee. He is assumed to be dangerous and possibly armed. If you see or know anything about Silvia or Daniel’s whereabouts please call crime stoppers at…”

“Damn it!.” I cursed as I banged my hands against the dashboard.

I was going to head to my house and grab some clothes but that was no longer an option.

I needed a new identity and fast. The only reason this could have happened so fast was due to Silvia’s nosey ass mother. "I should have killed her when I had the chance," I thought to myself. I looked back at the flowers again. They were so beautiful just like my Silvia. I’m going to miss her gray eyes but I have to change them, that’s the only way she can go undetected. I looked at myself in the rearview mirror, I had to change my outer appearance too.

I grabbed my phone and called up an old black market buddy of mine.

“Snoop...I need your help.” I stated.

Within two hours Snoop arranged for my car to be stolen. I called my wife to advise her of what happened and she said she’d handle the police report and insurance claim. I knew she hadn’t watched the news or heard the radio yet. She was beautiful, a good mother, but dumb as a doorknob and that’s why she was my wife. She asked if she should come to get me and I advised her that I had a meeting and wouldn’t be home until later this evening.

Snoop then wired $100,000 from my savings to an offshore account where he was able to turn them into bitcoins. Those bitcoins would be sent to another account back in the states within a week and deposited into an account created for Mr. Steven Harvey and his pregnant wife Taylor. They lived in the rural town of Ackley, Wisconsin. Those people were now me and Silvia’s aliases. He provided birth certificates, driver licenses, and a station wagon for the two of us. He had a hook-up in the north and was able to secure a three-bedroom house for us for an additional fee.

Now that I had that situation handled, I was finally on my way back to Silvia so that I could perform a small surgery, and then we could move. When I arrived, she was sound asleep. I had everything I needed to perform the procedure. I injected her with local anesthesia so she would not wake up and began the surgery. When I finished, I was satisfied. I cut her long hair, burned it, and loaded her inside of the station wagon. I made one last alteration before I joined her in the car. I decided to shave off all of the salt and pepper hair from my head and face. I cleaned the mess, burned my hair, and took the trash with me so it wouldn’t be a giveaway that I changed our looks. I placed shades on my face and joined my lady in the car.

To be honest, I was nervous while leaving Memphis. Even though we looked different, people in Memphis who knew the two of us could point us out at any time. Once we entered Arkansas via I-55, the rapid beating of my heart lessened. As soon as we hit Missouri, all of my nerves had calmed down. I continued through the night until I reached the Missouri/Illinois Stateline. That’s when Silvia started to move and moan from the effects of surgery. I injected her with another sedative and found a motel for the two of us to rest.

My plan was for us to sleep during the day and travel during the night. I wasn’t as worried about being flagged as the suspect because of the name changes and foolproof identifications. The medication that I gave Silvia would keep her asleep for at least another 8 hours. That would allow me the rest I needed and then we’d get us a meal and hopefully, she’d allow me to make love to her again. I paid for our room and placed my lovely new wife in the bed in the motel room. She was still beautiful, even as she slept. The motel owner let me know that there was a diner that he kept open 24 hours attached to the motel. I thanked him and was thankful that I had chosen this particular business to lay my head for the day. I laid down next to Silvia and dozed off as soon as my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up it was 6 p.m. and the sun was starting to go down. Silvia was still asleep. My stomach was growling and I was sure Silvia’s was doing the same since she was pregnant. We slept longer than I wanted but yesterday was an eventful day. I sat up, grabbed my wallet, snatched the phone cord from the wall for precaution, and took it with me while I gathered some food for us to eat.

As I entered the diner, a waitress greeted me with a smile. “Hi, handsome.” She stated. She was a voluptuous woman but beautiful. Her hair was tampered short and curly and the teal uniform she wore accentuated all of her curves especially her breast. Silvia didn’t have those on her body. “How can I help you this evening?” She questioned and handed me a menu. I placed a quick order for burgers and fries but the waitress was still looking me up and down after she took my order.

“Can I help you with something?” I asked her.

She smiled at me. “Well, I don’t see a ring on your finger so I’ll be frank.” She paused and walked from behind the counter and whispered in my ear. “I want you.”

I bet I looked like a Cheshire cat by the face. Then she let the cook know she was taking a 15-minute break, grabbed my hand, and took me to one of the empty motel rooms. The things that woman did to me within 15 minutes almost made me want to leave Silvia where she was and ask her to come with me to Wisconsin. But that was lust and what I had with Silvia was true love. And based on the forged documents, Silvia was my new wife.

“I am married.” I let her know as she got back dressed.

“Honey, I’m not looking for commitment. I just like to have what I want, when I want.” She replied. “Your food should be done now.”

This was the type of slut I dated in college. I loved this kind of woman. “Can I at least have your name,” I requested. She smiled, walked back over to me, and passed me a card. The card had her salon hours. She was a hairstylist too. That would explain her beautiful hairstyle. Donna Styles was on the card. “So you’re Donna?”

“That's my name and don’t wear it out, honey!” She walked to the door. “Oh, and next time you're in town, come and see me.” She walked out and I sat there in awe for a few more minutes.

Chapter 12- Dangerously in Love (Silvia)

I woke up in a dark room. My eyes were sore, watery, and my vision was blurred. I stumbled out of the bed and found a bathroom. I felt like I hadn’t emptied my bladder in months. When I finished, I made my way to the sink and found a light to turn on so I could wash my hands. My eyes were burning but what I saw in the mirror made my heart drop. My hair was visibly shorter and my eyes were no longer the beautiful grey color I was born with. They were brown. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and I collapsed on the floor.

I don’t know how long I was on the floor but when I came to, Daniel was rocking me and looking down into my face. Anger rose inside of me and burned like the flames of hell. I immediately started kicking, screaming, and swinging my arms. He reacted swiftly and injected something into my arm that immediately calmed me. It didn’t make me sleepy, all it did was stop me from fighting as much.

“Calm down Silvia. You need to eat now.” He helped me up and took me to the table where a burger and fries sat. He sat down across from me and proceeded to eat. “I’ll advise you to eat your food.” He then passed me two pills and pushed a bottle of water towards me. “Prenatal vitamins and iron for the baby.” He was no longer smiling. His demeanor changed once I started fighting.

I bit into my burger and reluctantly took the medicine. We ate our food in silence. I thought about my eyes and hair. My eyes were the reason for my name. I now felt empty on the inside. As I finished my food, he grabbed the little things he had and led me to an old 70s station wagon. I wanted to run but whatever he injected in my arm made me comply with everything he made me do.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as we were passing landmarks, I had never seen. “And where are we?”

“We’re wanted in our city?” He replied. “So we’re on the run, love.”

I jerked my head. “I haven’t done shit, Daniel.” My voice was raised and my words were slightly slurred.

“Oh, you’re my accomplice. They tied you to the murders that I committed...So yes you have done something.”

“Murders!” I yelled. “I don’t know anything about any murders Daniel…” Then it hit me that he admitted to killing people. “You’ve taken someone’s life, Daniel?” I asked. My voice was significantly lower. He glanced at me and I saw a sinister grin on his face.

“Why yes... Some for fun but most of them for money….You know buying babies on the black market is a real thing. And boy do I make a killing off of it.” He laughed. “Get it? And you’re my helper now so we’re on the run. But I have new identities for us and based on the new ones we have, we are husband and wife.” He paused again. “I love you honey but if you try anything crazy, I’ll lock you up and feed you to the dogs and not think twice about it.” He started looking back at the road. I gulped

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

“Well, all I want is for you to love me as much as I love you, be a faithful and dutiful wife, and give birth to our love child.” He placed his right hand on my thigh and squeezed it. I felt the bile rise up in my throat. He kept his hand on that part of my body for the rest of the ride.

We arrived in Wisconsin of all places by the middle of the night. He met someone dressed in all black on the side of the road. The guy handed him some keys and Daniel handed him cash. He joined me back in the car. He had a look of joy on his face. “We did it love, we escaped.” He grabbed my face and planted a kiss on my lips. I didn’t kiss him back. Daniel then opened the bag and turned on the car lights. “Here’s our new address. It’s about 30 minutes away but it’ll be our new home.”

I assumed he wanted me to rejoice but this time I knew I had to vomit. I opened the door and spilled the contents of my stomach on the ground. I felt him grab my hair to prevent vomit from getting in it and that only made me throw up more. I hated his touch now. When I finished I pulled myself back in the car and from the northern air. I didn’t say anything but he passed me a napkin.

“That’s the morning sickness. It’s normal.” Mr. Keaton mentioned. He started the car and pulled off. He turned on some old school tunes as if this situation was normal. There was nothing sane or normal about what he was doing and how he was acting. Had he been my patient, I would have diagnosed him with a dangerous case of Schizophrenia with multiple personality disorder. Then I would have locked him up with mandatory medical treatment because this man was clearly unstable and dangerous. He walked around as if he was normal but he had a dark side. I was blinded by the signs of his erratic behavior because I was lonely.

“What’s on your mind Silvia? I mean Taylor.” He questioned.

I shot my head in anger and asked, “Who the hell is Taylor?” He pulled over and stopped the car. I was still looking at him as if he lost his mind. “I know you didn’t kidnap me, force me into a fake life, and then call me another woman’s name.” My anger was rising again.

Daniel took a deep breath. “I’m sorry honey. I let my anger get to me. That’s your new name.” He pulled his wallet out and passed me a new identification. Even on the new card, my eyes had been altered to brown. I took a deep breath. “And I’m Steven. We’re the Harvey’s!” He was smiling like the joker now.

“Is that why you’re bald and my eyes are now brown?” I asked even though I knew the answer to the question. Tears were gathering in my eyes. I could tell that he regretted it.

“Yes. I didn’t want us to get caught and when the new report ran, they mentioned your grey eyes.” He looked sincerely disturbed by the hurt in my eyes. “I loved the color of your eyes but they were going to get us caught.” He stated. I sighed and closed my eyes. He rubbed my leg and then started the car back up. Neither one of us said anything else while he drove the remainder of the way to our new lives.

We arrived on a street named Cullen’s. The small street was a Cul de sac and Daniel pulled into a short driveway to what seemed to be the only blue house on the street. In front of the house was an old tree and I immediately felt a sense of gloom form over my head. Daniel on the other hand had that joker-like expression on his face again. He put the car in park instead of pulling it into the garage and hopped out. Then he ran on the other side of the car and opened the door. The northern air hit my face and I shivered. He picked me up like a child and carried me to the door, unlocked it, and carried me over the threshold. “It’s only right that I bring you into our new home as my wife.”

Chapter 13- Not going to Cry (Diane)

I couldn’t believe it. I was looking at my balance in our joint account and that bastard had taken over $100,000 dollars from us. The tears were falling from my eyes as I took a shot of Fireball. In all honesty, I felt horrible. It didn’t help that Mary J. Blige’s-Not Gon’ Cry, was now playing on my R&B playlist. I kept thinking how Daniel was my husband and he was evil but I never thought he’d leave me, leave our family. On top of that, he took money that we both had saved for retirement. But that bastard had some nerve, he was a cold-blooded murderer, and this time I was going to make sure they locked his ass underneath the jail. I took another shot. “DAMN YOU!” I yelled as I slammed the shot glass down. It had been 3 days since I heard from him. Our children were confused; they wanted to know why people were accusing their father of murder. I didn’t have the heart to tell them the truth. I just took them out of school. It seemed like the only logical thing to do.

Daniel and Silvia instantly became breaking news because of our status in our community and Silvia being a thriving relationship counselor. People were holding vigils for her in front of her house and outside the office building where she practiced. She was trending on both Twitter and Facebook. It amazed me how much this woman was loved and she didn’t even realize it. I hoped to be able to see her alive again. I was determined to do so. My nephew had taken a liking to her and I would not blame her for falling for Daniel. He was a manipulative little asshole. Hell, the only reason, he and I got married was because he talked/forced me out of my panties, I became pregnant, and his parents forced him to do right by me. In return, I was able to live in the lap of luxury. He came from long and old money, the kind of money that allowed you to get away with almost anything. I know that’s why the old detectives chose to look the other way when they found out my sister was his mistress all those years ago. They closed the case and filed it as a cold case.

When Malik graduated from college and joined the police force in Savannah, he wrote to me and told me what he saw when he was 5. I grabbed the old letter and started to read it.

-Dear Auntie,

I hope all is well with you and the children. As you know, I’ve joined the SPD. I have goals that I am determined to reach. Within 5 years I will make detective. I want to prevent what happened to my mother from happening again. I want to tell you something that nobody knows. The day my mama died, she had sent me to a birthday party at our next-door neighbor’s house. I had spilled something on my shirt and had to go home and change it. I entered the house from the laundry room and you remember my mama’s room was on the other side of the house and mine was next to the laundry room. I thought my mama was sleeping so I changed my shirt and headed back out my room when I heard him. I peeked out the living room window and didn’t see another car in the yard. I heard him say, “All you had to do was get rid of this baby as I asked you, but you didn’t now look at you.” I didn’t hear anything from my mother. I crept to my mother’s room and that’s where I saw her in a pool of blood. Her eyes were open and she was in shock but she noticed me and her expression told me to run. The man was wrapping a baby in a blanket. I slid inside the hallway bathroom and hid behind the door. The next thing I heard was a gunshot. I didn’t hear my mama scream or make any noises. I knew she was gone. I did hear the baby he was now carrying out of the house crying. He was taking my sister. I saw his face and the face I saw was your husband Auntie. I didn’t check on my mother because I knew she was gone. I just ran back to my neighbor’s house and told his mom I heard a gunshot in my house when I was changing my shirt. She called the police and well, you know the rest of the story. I want to deeply apologize for holding this secret in. I want to also promise you that one day, your husband will pay for the murder of my mother and the disappearance of my baby sister.

Love Always

Malik.-

I closed the letter and more tears fell from my eyes. I was mourning my sister’s death and the innocence that was taken from my nephew because he saw his mother murdered and was too scared to tell anyone. For years he held in that secret and chose to reveal it only with hopes to bring justice to his mother, my sister. I wanted justice for her too. I wanted justice for my nephew. And lastly I wanted justice for myself. My husband was a monster with money. He thought he could get away with murder and he had for years but his good luck has come to an end.